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Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University Students Assn. Volume 40, Number 1. May 23, 1977.

Mao Launches Anti-Rightist Campaign

Mao Launches Anti-Rightist Campaign

At the 4th People's Congress in January 1975, the faction associated with Chou and Teng gained control over all areas of government including the military. Mao was very concerned at the time but he did not have the forces to challenge the Chou faction. The death of Chou in January 1976 tipped the balance of power in favour of Mao, who lost no time in launching the anti-rightist campaign against the Chou-Teng faction. These "rightists" are the old leaders and cadres who were purged during the Cultural Revolution and rehabilitated at the 10th Congress.

Mao fired the first shot by accusing Teng as the man responsible for the rehabilitation of these "rightists". He also used his position as chairman of the CCP to appoint Hua Kuo-feng as acting premier instead of Teng, who was the rightful successor according to the constitution.

Throughout February and March, the Maoist press continuously accused Teng of being a "capitalist roader" and a "capitalist restorationist". Teng was accused of proposing to use the "Three Directives" as a program opposed to the class struggle. But in fact Mao himself proposed the Three Directives after the Cultural Revolution.

At the same time, sensing the popular support Chou was enjoying, the Maoists were not prepared to attack him personally, at least not just yet. Instead, they launched an attack on his political program. On March 1 "Red Flag" the theoretical organ of the CCP published an article called "A General Program of Restoration of Capitalism" in which attacks were made on the "Four modernisations" first proposed by Chou at the 4th People's Congress. The program called for agricultural, industrial, defence, scientific and technological modernisations.